Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-09-01

lively pea-green, had q wonderfully
bright brass, knocker in the center OF
the upper panel There was a weather.
beaten barn at the rear. from whose
open doors issued docks of noisy hens,
while a number of doves "courooed"
on the roofs in the sunshine; the little
door-yard was overgrown with syringa
and lilac bushes, and the two or three
dilapidated fower-beds were bordered
with large clam-shells.
Tad had good chance to notice all
this, because the Flaggs were some lit
tie time in getting into the house, as at
every few steps Mrs. Flagg had to stop
and speak of some bit of news. paren-
thesizing the same by giving Polly a
hug.
Polly had certain Bostonian expert
ences to narrate- particularly the one
where Tad and Bounce were prominent,
and even Captain Flagg himself tarried
on the doorstep a moment, to illus
trate, by penciled diagram on the
threshold. the whereabouts of the
''Mary J." when it came on to blow
heavy from the west ard the first night
out.
But finally they all got into the din
irg-room, where Ted seated himself in
a very unoornpromising chair made to
fit into corner, and sitting on the ex-
IRENE verge thereof, with his cap held
in both hands rHSting on his knees,
glanced interested!y about him, while
the tongues of the others wagged I'M
f1aggingly-if may bS allowed the ex-
preston.
He soon made up his mind that the
inside of the little house was as delight
fully quaint as its exterior. In the first
place, an oak wainscoting ran around
/ She walls nearly as high as Tad's shout
der. All the furniture was black with
age, and of the severest hair-cloth and
mahogany order, for, like the house, it
had been in being considerably over a
century. In the corner stood tall,
pale-faced clock, that had monotOnous-
" licked away hundred and ten years,
second by second. On the mantle were
some sea-shells, Il pair of china vases,
and small wooden ship, whitfield out
by Ephraim X. Small. And beneath the
mantle was large open Fireplace.
where the fire itself leaped up inces-
sanity and rubbed its glowing hands
| together, with warm smiles that were
reflected in the polished faces of the
brass-headed andirons. Just such a
fire as one likes to sit in front of when
it is showing and sleeting and blowing
out-of-doors, and listen to tales of ship
wrecks and storms at sea.
| The talk went on interruptedly till
dinner-time, and then came meal, to
which Tad did more than ample justice.
He said afterward that he was ashamed
| to have eaten so much. But when a
hungry growing boy is set down to cold
beef, and hot biscuit, and fresh butter,
and new gingerbread, with pie and
doughnuts besides, what else can be
expected?
After dinner Polly took Tad out to
make the acquaintance of the pig and
hens, while Mrs. Flagg cleared up the
dishes, during which operation Captain
Flagg, between the whifs of his pipe,
told her Tad's simple story, and men,
toned the boys expressed desire to get
work of some kind in the country.
why" exclaimed Mrs. Flagg, with
enthusiasm in her voice and dish-towel
in her hand, ''now if that don't seem
providential like; Miss Smith ran up
to bring some yeast this morning, and
she was in a peck of trouble. Dan
Crosby-you remember Dan-he want
ed to 90 off to sea with you las sum-
mer?''
The Captain intimated by grunt
| hot ho r.onnllonfnH tho youth xxyan
well, Dan had been working there
for year." the good lady went on,
land Miss Smith said she'd noticed he
was getting dretful sort of uppish
lately, and because she gave him a
talking to for smoking sweet-fern cigars
in bed, he told her he wasn't going to
be ordered round by no waman, if he
knowed hisself, so he up and left, and
she paying of him two dollars a week
and boardr'
I'D given him something morn a
talking to-" remarked Captain Flagg,
emphatically, as he knocked the ashes
from his pipe and rose to his feet. Il
guess, Mary Jane" he continued, reach
ing for his hat, ''I'n jest drift down to
Miss Smiths and see how the land lays
If she amt shipped any one. that
the very place for Tad" With which
remark the Captain rolled out of the
door and down the street on his benev-
client errand, while Mrs. Flagg, having
finished clearing away the dinner
things. took up her knitting for the rest
of the afternoon.
Meanwhile, Tad and Polly were wan
dering about the premises, followed by
Bounce, who, being city-reared
puppy, seemed to find every thing as
delightfully."- novel and strange as did
Tad himself.
al never thought the country was so